Sermon XII. - For Sunday Septuagesima
Importance of eternal salvation.
Misit EOS vineam Suam. (Mt 20.2.)
The vineyards of the Lord is our souls, we have been given hills to cultivate good deeds, so that one day may be admitted into eternal glory. But big deal! Salviano writes: Quid due east, quod Christianus, future credit is not timeat future? Christians believe the death, the court hell, paradise, but then live as not believe, as these truths of faith were fables and inventions of wits. Many live as never having to die, or did not have to give account to God in their lives, and as there was neither hell nor heaven. You may not believe? I believe, but we think, and so are lost. They all care for the shops of the earth, the soul and not think about it. I want so much to you today to consider the store to save the soul is the most profitable of all business;
Because the point I lost soul, lost everything;
Point II. Because the soul once lost, is lost forever.
Point I Lost soul is lost everything.
The Apostle writes: Rogamus autem vos, fratres, ut negotium vestrum agatis 1. Most of 'worldly use all the attention for the shops of the earth does not care who gets the fight to gain, get yourself to that place, the marriage! How many vehicles, how many steps they take! Not eating, not sleeping. And save the soul, what? Everyone is ashamed to hear that is overlooked in the affairs of his thing, and then many are not ashamed of neglecting the health of the soul! My brothers, with St. Paul, I want you'd expect to do that, especially your store, ut negotium vestrum agatis, ie the store of your eternal salvation.
Says s. Bernard Nugae puerorum nugae vocantur, nugae maiorum, negotia title. The Frascheri de 'children are named Frascheri, baubles, coves, bays and large shops are called, and these bays many lose their souls. If you suffer damage in a store can build another, but if one dies from grace of God and loses his soul, with which it can never compensate for this loss? Quam homo dabit commutationem per second his soul? Says s. Eutherius these neglected for the soul: pretiosus quam sis, or homo, is not credis Creators, questions Redemptorem 3. If you mean what is your soul believing that God has created in his image, believe in Jesus Christ who has redeemed with his blood thereof: Not corruptibilibus auro vel silver, writes s. Peter ... sed estis redemptio pretioso sanguine agni almost immaculate Christi 4.
God must be even estimate your soul. The devil still esteem so much that to make himself master, not asleep, but constantly be turning around for her to do it. So, says s. Augustine Vigilat hostis, Dormis you? The enemy watches always against you, and you sleep? Pope Benedict XII. requested by a prince of a favor, he could not grant without scruple of conscience, the ambassador replied: write to your prince, that if I had two souls could lose one to please, but not having that, I can not lose. And thus denied him the favor asked.
My brother, you mean well, if you save the soul, no matter what mistakes all the other shops in the ground, he shall be fully happy for all eternity. But if you lose your soul, that thou shalt have had in this world the riches, honors and amusements? Losing the soul you lost everything: Quid homini prodest is mundum universum lucretur, animae true suæ detrimentum patiatur 5? With this maximum s. Ignatius of Loyola drew many souls to God, and especially the soul of s. Francis Xavier, who being in Paris waiting to buy goods of the earth, but one day told him s. Ignatius, and said: "Francis, who served? Servants in the world, which promises a traitor and does not wait. And while waiting, how long are the goods it promises? Can last more than life? And after the death that will benefit you, if you will not be saved? "And then I reminded him the sentence of the Gospel: Quid homini prodest etc. Porro unum est necessarium 6. It is not necessary to be rich in this land, buy the honor and dignity, but it is necessary to save his soul, because if we do not go to heaven, we will be condemned to hell. There is no middle way, or saved or damned. God has not created for this land, nor do we keep life to make us rich or take pastimes: finem real life aeternam 7. He created us and gives us life that we acquire eternal life.
Who is not waiting on everything to save his soul, says St. Philip Blacks, that is crazy. If ever there were men in the earth and mortal men immortal mortals and immortals saw all applied to procure goods world, they would say oh you are crazy! You may make purchases of goods immense and eternal paradise, and you lose the time to buy those goods narrow ground, and soon end in death? And they put you at risk of going to suffer eternally in hell? Let these earthly things we expect we only unfortunate that it all ends in death. But no, we are all immortal, and everyone in the afterlife has to be either eternally happy or miserable forever. But this is the misfortune of many, who think only this and nothing in the future. Utinam saperent et intelligerent, Novissima ac providerent 8! Oh know detached from 'these goods, which just last, and predict what has to happen in the end their death, which is being made king of heaven or hell or slaves for all eternity! The appointed s. Philip one day finding himself talking to a young man named Francis Zazzera, that being talented hoped to make his fortune in the world, he said to him: blithely, son, you will do great good fortune, you're good lawyer, then you prelate, Cardinal then perhaps , and who knows maybe even the pope. And then? And then? Go, said in the end, think of these two words. He left the young man, meditating in his house and those two words: And then? And then, abandoning hope of earth, and gave everything to God, leaving the world and entering the same congregation of St. Philip, where he died piously.
Huius mundi Praeterit Figure 9. At these words, Cornelius a Lapide writes: Mundus est instar scenae. Our present life is a comedy and ends up passing. Blessed is he who does well in this play its part in saving one's soul, or else you will be expected to accumulate riches and honors of the world, rightly be called crazy, and he will be rebuked in death what he was told that rich gospel: Stulte, hac nightly animam tuam repetunt you: quae autem erunt pilasters deceased 10? Toledo explains that word repetunt, and says that the Lord has given the soul in store for guard by the attacks of 'enemies, so in death the angels are to repeat to you your soul, and submit to the court of Jesus Christ but if you are the soul you lost, just waiting to buy goods of the earth, these goods will no longer yours, but others, and what will your soul?
Poor worldly! Of all the riches acquired, all the pumps made in this land, which will be found in death? Dormierunt somnum invenerunt nihil suum et omnes viri divitiarum in manibus suis 11. The dream will end in death, what is the present life, and nothing will purchase for eternity. Demanded a great many of the earth, princes, emperors in their lives have abounded in riches, honors, pleasures, and are now in hell: tell me who you are now possessed of so much wealth in this world? Meet the wretched tears, and we want to find? Nothing, nothing. It had so many honors, enjoyed many delights of many pumps and triumphs that there are? Respond screaming nothing, nothing.
He had therefore no reason s. Francis Xavier in the world to say that there is only one good and one evil: the only good is saved, and the only bad injury. So said David Unam petii Domino, et hanc requiram, ut in domo Domini inhabitem 12. One thing I always try and I looked to God to give me the grace to save the soul because the soul saved will be saved everything and lost soul, you lost everything. What's more important is that the soul once lost, is lost forever. And we pass to the second point.
Step II. Lost soul once it is lost forever.
The importance is that once you die. If you die twice, someone could lose its soul in the first, and then recover it and save it in the second. But no, once you die, wrong the first time, wrong forever. This often inculcated s. Teresa to her nuns: Daughters, he said, soul, eternity. And he meant, soul, lost it, lost it all: an eternity, the soul, once lost, is lost forever Periisse Semel aeternum East.
Writes s. Eucherius that there is larger error, which overlook the shop of eternal salvation: Healthy above omnem errorem east conceal negotium aeternae salutis. Error over every mistake, because it is a mistake without remedy. Other errors may be the remedy, if one loses one can buy stuff for a way to another: if he loses a job, a dignity, may recover it below: although a lost life, saving is a remedy for all. But for those who give and loses his soul, to this loss there is no remedy. This is the cry of 'poor damned, thinking that it is over time to be saved, and so there is no hope of remedy for their eternal ruin: After aestas est, et nos sumus 13 not saved. In order to weep and mourn for ever inconsolable, saying Ergo erravimus via veritatis, et iustitiae not Luxit nobis lumen 14. But they will know that the mistake made after there is no shelter?
This is the greatest punishment of the damned, thinking that have lost the soul, and have lost one's own fault: your Perditio, Israel, tantummodo auxilium tuum in me 15. Oh, unhappy! God says a damn, your perditio, that formerly you, is to say, you've been with sin, the cause of your damnation, while I was ready to save you, if you wanted to wait for your health. Writes s. Teresa that if one loses his carelessness a ring, a robe, a mere trifle, not eating, not sleeping, can not find peace, thinking has lost its fault. Oh God! And what punishment will the damned in hell when it came, thinking that he lost his soul, has lost everything, and lost for ever his fault!
We must, therefore, that from today forward we have made all our care to save face. It is not, says s. Thurs Chrysostom, losing some good ground, finally in death we have to leave one day, this is paradise lost, and going to suffer forever in hell: De immortalibus suppliciis de coelestis kingdoms amissione res Agitur. You must have great fear and trembling of causing damage so we can obtain the eternal salvation: Cum METU vestram salutem et tremor operamini 16. And so if we want to save, there must we force to avoid occasions, to resist temptations, to attend the sacraments. The sky is not acquired without trouble: Violent rapiunt illud. Trembling saints, thinking of eternity. S. Andrew Avellino wept, saying, and who knows if I survive or give me? S. Louis Beltrando trembled, saying that will happen to me in the world? And we do not tremble? Please Jesus Christ and his SS. Mother, who give us their help to save face, because this is our flagship store, which had success for us, we will be forever happy, having bad outcome, we will be forever unhappy.
Notes 1 Thess. 4. 10. 2 Matt. 16. 26. 3 S. Eutheria. Homily. 2. in Symb. 4 1. Petr. 1. 18. and 19. 5 Matt. 16. 26. 6 Luc. 10. 42. 7 Roma 6. 22. 8 Deut. 32. 29. 9 1. Cor. 7. 31. 10 Luc. 12. 20. PSAL 11. 75. 6. PSAL 12. 26. 4. 13 Ier. 8. 20. 14 Wis. 5. 6. 15 Hosea 13. 9. 16 Philip. 2. 12.
